“Will you find a good home for her?”
“It won’t be easy, given their upbringing.”
“I wish I could take her in but Dad would never allow it.”
“Your father wants to protect you.”
“I know,” I said. “From everything. Maddox, dogs…”
“Maddox needs to earn your father’s trust. That’s not an easy thing to do, but I was your father’s enemy once and he gave me the benefit of the doubt. Maddox can do the same.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Growl.”


“Women like her don’t take bullshit from anyone and they deserve the best,” Growl rasped, following my gaze.
“You don’t have to tell me that she deserves better. Everyone in the Famiglia thinks that.”
“My wife deserved better when we first met, but I worked until I was worthy of her.”
“That’s my plan,” I said. “I’ll help her and the Famiglia.”
Growl regarded me with stoic calm.

“Growl said as we entered the elevator. He looked at my hands. “Don’t you have any clothes or other stuff?”
“Most of my stuff went up in flames when the Vitiellos burned down the clubhouse. I always traveled light.”
Growl made a non-committal noise. “Do you have money to buy clothes and everything else you need?”
I patted my jeans pocket, which still held several grand. But I needed a new bike, so that would rip a huge hole in my pocket. “I’m fine, and I won’t borrow money from the Famiglia for sure. Even idiots know better than to owe the mob money.”
“I would have given you cash, without interest,” Growl said with a shrug and stepped out when the elevator arrived on the fifteenth floor.”
“I raised my eyebrows. “Really? Why would you do that? You don’t know me, and as far as your boss is concerned, I’m still the enemy.”
Growl motioned at the door at the end of the long hallway. “Because I once arrived in New York without anything to call my own as well.”

Now the message from Growl wasn’t all that surprising. I opened it.
“If you want, you can have breakfast with the shelter crew at 8.”
I smiled. Growl was really an okay guy.
I’ll be there. Should I bring anything?
I’d actually never been invited to breakfast. It was such an ordinary thing to do, especially considering how Growl looked.
Be hungry.”

“Your wife?” I asked Growl.
Pride and adoration filled his harsh face. “Yes, my wife Cara.”
Cara turned, wiped her hands on a dishtowel and came toward me, followed by her two dogs. She held out her hand with a warm smile. “Nice to meet you. Growl told me a lot about you.”
I grimaced. “I doubt anything good.”
She shook her head with a smile at her husband. “Actually, most of it was good.”
I glanced at Growl, who looked mildly uncomfortable.

He went into the next room and gruffly ordered the shelter kids to come in for breakfast. Soon everyone was gathered around the old wooden table. Four shelter kids who looked as if they’d had it at least as rough as the dogs in the kennels outside, Cara, Growl, and me.
Conversations mostly revolved around the dogs, and for a while I forgot that there even existed something like the enmity between the Famiglia and what was left of Tartarus.

“Growl obviously was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, but I wasn’t sure if the rest of Luca’s men and especially Marcella’s family would do the same. Still, I saw today as a step in the right direction.”

“Growl was taking care of Santana while we were away. I was incredibly glad that he and Maddox had built a tentative friendship. I wanted Maddox to find people he liked to spend time with.”

“Your animals are all taken care of.”

“I know, they found good homes but I miss working with animals.”

“I talked to Growl a few days ago.”

She straightened, curiosity lighting up her face.”

“She smiled. “What about Growl?”
“I told him about the sanctuary you had in Las Vegas and he suggested that you can work together with him and his family. So far he only takes in dogs, but if you want to expand on the shelter I’m sure he won’t mind helping you. The premises can be expanded with barns and there’s pasture land close by.”

“Growl rose slowly from the kitchen chair from where he’d been watching the scene unfold with his usual caution. His expression remained wary as he stopped in front of us.
“Hello uncle,” Greta said in a soft voice, her expression warm. “I’m glad I can finally meet you. Is it okay if I call you uncle or are you uncomfortable with that label?”
Surprise crossed Growl’s face. He glanced at Cara then at me before the hint of a smile pulled at his lips. “Nice to meet you too. And you can call me uncle if you want.”
She nodded eagerly.

Maximus lifted me in his arms and began running as if I weighed nothing, while his father guarded our backs with a pointed gun. Bacon dashed past us. Growl stopped abruptly and fired three shots in close succession.

“He stirred, and his eyelids dragged up. He looked at Mom and gave her a small smile.

I considered giving them privacy, but then he looked over at me.

“Sara?”

“She and the baby are safe too.”

“It’ll probably take some time, and I can’t eat rare meat anyway.”

I touched her shoulder. “I told you we don’t have to eat steak.”

“It’s okay. We have so many sides. I won’t go hungry.”

“I’ll cook one steak well done for you,” Dad rumbled.

I gave him a surprised look.”

“Two hours later, we all settled around the table with steaks on our plates. Even Sara had a piece of well-done meat in front of her. Dad watched her closely as she took a bite.

“It’s good,” she said, surprised.

He nodded with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Matteo stopped beside me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For finding the photographer even if it was in vain.” Four weeks, and slowly I was starting to realize that this was it. That the love I’d taken for granted, I’d never experience again.
“Three years ago you kept a secret from Luca for me,” Matteo said in a voice gravelly with sleep. “If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here today.”

Aria was too selfless, too good. I nodded slowly, realizing why she did it. She wanted me to appear strong. Aria wasn’t a weakness.

A beautiful blonde woman stepped in.

“It’s enough,” she said. Her voice was quiet and calm, but it held obvious power over Luca.

I could feel Remo’s eyes on me the entire time, but I didn’t care. I’d learned from my father that loving someone didn’t mean you were weak.

“I’m willing to sacrifice a lot for the Famiglia and this family, Dad. I’ll be a good Capo like you, but have you ever considered that you are a good Capo because Mom has your back? You have her by your side when the carnage and bullshit get too much. Without her, where would you be today?”

Luca looked at me and tears welled in my eyes. “I’d be in a very dark place and probably a worse Capo than my father had been.”

Romero lifted me into his arms under the excited cheers of our guests. I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d never felt lighter, as if any moment I would soar up into the night sky.  I risked a glance up, wondering if Mother was watching. I’d done what she’d wanted. I’d risked happiness, and it was worth it. Romero kissed my cheek, drawing my attention back to him.

I put my chin down on Sara’s head and closed my eyes, simply feeling the gentle movements of our child. Who knew that such a small thing could make me so happy?

Rage blinded my vision as I jumped off the platform before anyone could stop me, shoved into the crowd and slammed the man to the ground. My hand wrapped around his throat. It was all too familiar. I’d often wondered why Dad had used his bare hands to kill a man who insulted Mom. But feeling the frantic throbbing of panic against my fingertips as I choked the asshole was fucking beautiful and so much more satisfactory than the detached use of a knife or gun.

Luca is Capo. And he’s the best there ever was. Because he rules without mercy. Because he rewards those who are loyal. Because he protects those deserving of protection.”

I curled into a small ball and closed the box over my head.
I stared into the darkness, fighting nausea and trying to quiet the whooshing in my ears. Soon the dark and quiet took effect and my pulse slowed, and then later the whooshing in my ears settled down as well. Sweet oblivion.